Saul Anointed King

1 ^cThen Samuel took a flask of oil and poured it on his head ^dand kissed him and said, “Has not the Lord anointed you to be prince¹ over ^ehis people Israel? And you shall reign over the people of the Lord and you will save them from the hand of their surrounding enemies. And this shall be the sign to you that the Lord has anointed you to be prince² over his heritage. 2 When you depart from me today, you will meet two men by ^fRachel’s tomb in the territory of Benjamin at Zelzah, and they will say to you, ^g‘The donkeys that you went to seek are found, and now ^hyour father has ceased to care about the donkeys and is anxious about you, saying, “What shall I do about my son?”’ 3 Then you shall go on from there farther and come to the ⁱoak of Tabor. Three men ^jgoing up ^kto God at Bethel will meet you there, one carrying three young goats, another carrying three loaves of bread, and another carrying a skin of wine. 4 And they will greet you and give you two loaves of bread, which you shall accept from their hand. 5 After that you shall come to ^lGibeath-elohim,^{3 m}where there is a garrison of the Philistines. And there, as soon as you come to the city, you will meet a group of prophets coming down ⁿfrom the high place with harp, tambourine, flute, and lyre before them, prophesying. 6 ^oThen the Spirit of the Lord will rush upon you, ^pand you will prophesy with them and be turned into another man. 7 Now when ^qthese signs meet you, do what your hand finds to do, ^rfor God is with you. 8 Then go down before me ^sto Gilgal. And behold, I am coming down to you to offer burnt offerings and ^tto sacrifice peace offerings. ^uSeven days you shall wait, until I come to you and show you what you shall do.”

9 When he turned his back to leave Samuel, God gave him another heart. And all these signs came to pass that day. 10 When they came to ^vGibeah,⁴ behold, a group of prophets met him, ^oand the Spirit of God rushed upon him, and he prophesied among them. 11 And when all who knew him previously saw how he prophesied with the prophets, the people said to one another, “What has come over the son of Kish? ^wIs Saul also among the prophets?” 12 And a man of the place answered, ^x“And who is their father?” Therefore it became a proverb, ^w“Is Saul also among the prophets?” 13 When he had finished prophesying, he came to the high place.

14 ^ySaul’s uncle said to him and to his servant, “Where did you go?” And he said, ^z“To seek the donkeys. And when we saw they were not to be found, we went to Samuel.” 15 And Saul’s uncle said, “Please tell me what Samuel said to you.” 16 And Saul said to his uncle, ^a“He told us plainly that the donkeys had been found.” But about the matter of the kingdom, of which Samuel had spoken, he did not tell him anything.

Saul Proclaimed King

17 Now Samuel called the people together ^bto the Lord ^cat Mizpah. 18 And he said to the people of Israel, ^d“Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, ‘I brought up Israel out of Egypt, and I delivered you from the hand of the Egyptians and from the hand of all the kingdoms that were oppressing you.’ 19 ^eBut today you have rejected your God, who saves you from all your calamities and your distresses, and you have said to him, ‘Set a king over us.’ Now therefore ^fpresent yourselves before the Lord by your tribes and by your thousands.”

20 Then Samuel ^gbrought all the tribes of Israel near, and the tribe of Benjamin was taken by lot. 21 He brought the tribe of Benjamin near by its clans, and the clan of the Matrites was taken by lot;⁵ and Saul the son of Kish was taken by lot. But when they sought him, he could not be found. 22 ^hSo they inquired again of the Lord, “Is there a man still to come?” and the Lord said, “Behold, he has hidden himself among the baggage.” 23 Then they ran and took him from there. And when he stood among the people, ⁱhe was taller than any of the people from his shoulders upward. 24 And Samuel said to all the people, “Do you see him ^jwhom the Lord has chosen? There is none like him among all the people.” And all the people shouted, ^k“Long live the king!”

25 Then Samuel told the people ^lthe rights and duties of the kingship, and he wrote them in a book and laid it up before the Lord. Then Samuel sent all the people away, each one to his home. 26 Saul also went to his home ^mat Gibeah, and with him went men of valor whose hearts God had touched. 27 But some ⁿworthless fellows said, “How can this man save us?” And they despised him and brought him no present. But he held his peace.

Warning Against Adultery

The Plot to Kill Jesus

1 ^rNow the Feast of Unleavened Bread drew near, which is called ^sthe Passover. 2 And the chief priests and the scribes ^twere seeking how to put him to death, for they feared the people.

Judas to Betray Jesus

3 ^uThen ^vSatan entered into ^wJudas called Iscariot, who was of the number of the twelve. 4 He went away and conferred with the chief priests and ^xofficers how he might betray him to them. 5 And they were glad, and agreed to give him money. 6 So he consented and sought an opportunity to ^ybetray him to them in the absence of a crowd.

The Passover with the Disciples

7 ^zThen came ^athe day of Unleavened Bread, on which the Passover lamb had to be sacrificed. 8 So Jesus¹ sent Peter and John, saying, “Go and prepare the Passover for us, that we may eat it.” 9 They said to him, “Where will you have us prepare it?” 10 He said to them, “Behold, when you have entered the city, a man carrying a jar of water will meet you. Follow him into the house that he enters 11 and tell the master of the house, ^b‘The Teacher says to you, Where is ^cthe guest room, where I may eat the Passover with my disciples?’ 12 And he will show you ^da large upper room furnished; prepare it there.” 13 And they went and found it ^ejust as he had told them, and they prepared the Passover.

Institution of the Lord’s Supper

14 ^fAnd when the hour came, he reclined at table, and the apostles with him. 15 And he said to them, “I have earnestly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer. 16 For I tell you I will not eat it^{2 g}until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God.” 17 And he took a cup, and ^hwhen he had given thanks he said, “Take this, and divide it among yourselves. 18 ⁱFor I tell you that from now on I will not drink of the fruit of the vine ^guntil the kingdom of God comes.” 19 ^jAnd he took bread, and ^hwhen he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to them, saying, ^k“This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” 20 And likewise the cup after they had eaten, saying, ^k“This cup that is poured out for you is ^lthe new ^mcovenant in my blood.³ 21 ⁿBut behold, the hand of him who betrays me is ^owith me on the table. 22 For the Son of Man goes ^pas it has been determined, but woe to that man by whom he is betrayed!” 23 And they began to question one another, which of them it could be who was going to do this.

Who Is the Greatest?

24 ^qA dispute also arose among them, as to which of them was to be regarded as the greatest. 25 ^rAnd he said to them, “The kings of the Gentiles ^sexercise lordship over them, and those in authority over them are called benefactors. 26 ^tBut not so with you. Rather, let ^sthe greatest among you become as the youngest, and the leader as one who serves. 27 For who is the greater, ^uone who reclines at table or one who serves? Is it not the one who reclines at table? But ^vI am among you as the one who serves.

28 “You are those who have stayed with me ^win my trials, 29 and ^xI assign to you, as my Father assigned to me, a kingdom, 30 ^ythat you may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom and ^zsit on thrones judging ^athe twelve tribes of Israel.

Jesus Foretells Peter’s Denial

31 “Simon, Simon, behold, ^bSatan demanded to have you,^{4 c}that he might sift you like wheat, 32 but ^dI have prayed for you that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned again, ^estrengthen your brothers.” 33 Peter⁵ said to him, “Lord, I am ready to go with you both ^fto prison and ^gto death.” 34 ^hJesus⁶ said, “I tell you, Peter, the rooster will not crow this day, until you deny three times that you know me.”

Scripture Must Be Fulfilled in Jesus

35 And he said to them, ⁱ“When I sent you out with no moneybag or knapsack or sandals, did you lack anything?” They said, “Nothing.” 36 He said to them, “But now let the one who has a moneybag take it, and likewise a knapsack. And let the one who has no sword sell his cloak and buy one. 37 For I tell you that ^jthis Scripture must be fulfilled in me: ^k‘And he was numbered with the transgressors.’ For ^lwhat is written about me has its fulfillment.” 38 And they said, “Look, Lord, here are two ^mswords.” And he said to them, ⁿ“It is enough.”

Jesus Prays on the Mount of Olives

39 ^oAnd he came out and went, ^pas was his custom, to ^qthe Mount of Olives, and the disciples followed him. 40 ^rAnd when he came to ^sthe place, he said to them, ^t“Pray that you may not ^uenter into temptation.” 41 And he withdrew from them about a stone’s throw, and ^vknelt down and prayed, 42 saying, ^w“Father, if you are willing, remove ^xthis cup from me. ^yNevertheless, not my will, but yours, be done.” 43 And there appeared to him ^zan angel from heaven, strengthening him. 44 And ^wbeing in agony he prayed more earnestly; and his sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground.⁷ 45 And when he rose from prayer, he came to the disciples and found them sleeping for sorrow, 46 and he said to them, “Why are you sleeping? Rise and ^apray that you may not enter into temptation.”

Betrayal and Arrest of Jesus

47 ^bWhile he was still speaking, there came a crowd, and the man called ^cJudas, one of the twelve, was leading them. He drew near to Jesus to kiss him, 48 but Jesus said to him, “Judas, would you betray the Son of Man with a kiss?” 49 And when those who were around him saw what would follow, they said, “Lord, shall we strike ^dwith the sword?” 50 And one of them struck the servant⁸ of the high priest and cut off his right ear. 51 But Jesus said, “No more of this!” And he touched his ear and healed him. 52 Then Jesus said to the chief priests and ^eofficers of the temple and elders, who had come out against him, “Have you come out as against a robber, with swords and clubs? 53 When ^fI was with you day after day in the temple, you did not lay hands on me. But this is ^gyour hour, and ^hthe power of darkness.”

Peter Denies Jesus

54 ⁱThen they seized him and led him away, bringing him into the high priest’s house, ^jand Peter was following at a distance. 55 ^kAnd when they had kindled a fire in the middle of ^lthe courtyard and sat down together, Peter sat down among them. 56 Then a servant girl, seeing him as he sat in the light and looking closely at him, said, “This man also was with him.” 57 But he denied it, saying, “Woman, I do not know him.” 58 And a little later someone else saw him and said, “You also are one of them.” But Peter said, “Man, I am not.” 59 And after an interval of about an hour still another ^minsisted, saying, “Certainly this man also was with him, for he too is a Galilean.” 60 But Peter said, “Man, I do not know what you are talking about.” And immediately, while he was still speaking, the rooster crowed. 61 And the Lord turned and ⁿlooked at Peter. And Peter remembered the saying of the Lord, how he had said to him, ^o“Before the rooster crows today, you will ^pdeny me three times.” 62 And he went out and wept bitterly.

Jesus Is Mocked

63 ^qNow the men who were holding Jesus in custody were mocking him as they beat him. 64 ^qThey also blindfolded him and kept asking him, ^r“Prophesy! ^rWho is it that struck you?” 65 And they said many other things against him, ^sblaspheming him.

Jesus Before the Council

66 ^tWhen day came, ^uthe assembly of the elders of the people gathered together, both chief priests and scribes. And they led him away to their ^vcouncil, and they ^wsaid, 67 ^x“If you are ^ythe Christ, tell us.” But he said to them, “If I tell you, you will not believe, 68 and if I ask you, you will not answer. 69 But from now on the Son of Man shall be seated ^zat the right hand of the power of God.” 70 So they all said, “Are you ^athe Son of God, then?” And he said to them, ^b“You say that I am.” 71 Then they said, “What further testimony do we need? We have heard it ourselves from his own lips.”

Jesus Before Pilate

1 ^cThen the whole company of them arose and brought him before Pilate. 2 And they began to accuse him, saying, “We found this man ^dmisleading our nation and ^eforbidding us to give tribute to ^fCaesar, and saying that he himself is Christ, ^ga king.” 3 ^hAnd Pilate asked him, ⁱ“Are you the King of the Jews?” And he answered him, ^j“You have said so.” 4 Then Pilate said to the chief priests and the crowds, ^k“I find no guilt in this man.” 5 But they were urgent, saying, “He stirs up the people, teaching throughout all Judea, ^lfrom Galilee even to this place.”

Jesus Before Herod

6 When Pilate heard this, he asked whether the man was a Galilean. 7 And when he learned that he belonged to ^mHerod’s jurisdiction, he sent him over to Herod, who was himself in Jerusalem at that time. 8 When Herod saw Jesus, he was very glad, ⁿfor he had long desired to see him, ^obecause he had heard about him, and he was hoping ^pto see some sign done by him. 9 So he questioned him at some length, but he made no answer. 10 The chief priests and the scribes stood by, vehemently accusing him. 11 And Herod with his soldiers ^qtreated him with contempt and ^rmocked him. Then, ^sarraying him in splendid clothing, he sent him back to Pilate. 12 And ^tHerod and Pilate became friends with each other that very day, for before this they had been at enmity with each other.

13 Pilate then called together the chief priests and ^uthe rulers and the people, 14 and said to them, “You brought me this man ^vas one who was misleading the people. And ^wafter examining him before you, behold, I ^xdid not find this man guilty of any of your charges against him. 15 Neither did Herod, for ^yhe sent him back to us. Look, nothing deserving death has been done by him. 16 ^zI will therefore punish and release him.”⁹

Pilate Delivers Jesus to Be Crucified

18 ^aBut they all cried out together, ^b“Away with this man, and release to us Barabbas”— 19 a man who had been thrown into prison for an insurrection started in the city and ^cfor murder. 20 Pilate addressed them once more, desiring to release Jesus, 21 but they kept shouting, “Crucify, crucify him!” 22 A third time he said to them, “Why? ^dWhat evil has he done? ^eI have found in him no guilt deserving death. ^fI will therefore punish and release him.” 23 But they were urgent, demanding with loud cries that he should be crucified. And their voices prevailed. 24 So Pilate decided that their demand should be granted. 25 He released the man who had been thrown into prison ^gfor insurrection and murder, for whom they asked, ^hbut he delivered Jesus over to their will.

The Crucifixion

26 ⁱAnd as they led him away, they seized one Simon of Cyrene, who was coming in from the country, and laid on him the cross, to carry it behind Jesus. 27 And there followed him a great multitude of the people and of women who were ^jmourning and lamenting for him. 28 But turning to them Jesus said, “Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for me, but weep for yourselves and for your children. 29 For behold, ^kthe days are coming when they will say, ^l‘Blessed are the barren and the wombs that never bore and the breasts that never nursed!’ 30 ^mThen they will begin to say to the mountains, ‘Fall on us,’ and to the hills, ‘Cover us.’ 31 For ⁿif they do these things when ^othe wood is green, what will happen ^owhen it is dry?”

32 ^pTwo others, who were criminals, were led away to be put to death with him. 33 ^qAnd when they came to the place that is called The Skull, there they crucified him, and the criminals, ^pone on his right and one on his left. 34 And Jesus said, “Father, ^rforgive them, ^sfor they know not what they do.”¹⁰ And they cast lots ^tto divide his garments. 35 And ^uthe people stood by, watching, ^vbut ^wthe rulers ^xscoffed at him, saying, ^y“He saved others; ^zlet him save himself, ^aif he is ^bthe Christ of God, ^chis Chosen One!” 36 The soldiers also mocked him, coming up and ^doffering him sour wine 37 and saying, ^e“If you are ^fthe King of the Jews, save yourself!” 38 ^gThere was also an inscription over him,¹¹ “This is ^fthe King of the Jews.”